Not exactly the storyline I was expecting. Very harrowing to read in parts. Unlikeable characters. That said the novel had a way of drawing you in. The ending was quite abrupt. Just an average read not exceptional in any way. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

*3.5 Stars*

I suppose I was expecting this to be more of a psychological thriller, but it definitely wasn’t that. What I did find was a novel full of hypocritical, elitist characters who represent the most vile and narcissistic excuses for mankind that it’s possible to come across.

Julianne is preparing dinner when her son Stephen tells her that he’s found something really bad on the home computer among his dad’s files. What follows, when Julianne sees exactly what Stephen has discovered, is an unraveling of a marriage, an end to family life as she knows it, and an encounter with a dark and deviant underworld that’s truly shocking.

The narrative is told in dual timelines and flows effortlessly between 1991 and 2019. Julianne’s story is told alongside Holly’s who was a fellow student at Oxford University. Though they weren’t particularly good friends, they do share a secret - one that both of them would prefer to leave permanently in the past.

It’s really difficult to review this one, it’s a very dark and disturbing storyline, with graphic descriptions of gang rape, and some homophobic and racist undertones which I found unsettling, however, I have to be fair to the author, and give credit where it’s due, because though the subject matter is repulsive, he’s actually produced an addictive read, compelling the reader ever onwards in order to discover exactly what Julianne and Holly will do with the secrets of the past and also the present, and in that respect it did have me gripped - I guess I was hoping to see someone pay for their despicable acts, but I won’t reveal the outcome!

Spoilers within
A short way into this novel, I became convinced I had already read it, such were the similarities between it and what turned out to be - with a little help from Google- Sarah Vaughn's 'Anatomy of a Scandal'. Both stories are told via flashbacks from a working class girl named Holly who goes to Oxford University and has her head turned by arrogant, privileged upper class rapist whereupon Holly drops out of college, pregnant and devotes her life thereafter to justice. It transpired that this was indeed a different book but were I Ms Vaughn, I might be a tad miffed!
This is a grim read and anyone likely to be triggered by sexual violence should avoid like the plague as it's dark with almost no relief at all from increasingly twisted sexual exploitation scenes and very few foils to a set of bleakly compromised characters. I finished it. I don't think it was badly written. I didn't enjoy it and felt somewhat grimy afterwards.

Really frustrating, the precis sounded good but nothing really happened - it was all set up. We met the characters, followed the thread, had a reveal of sorts but there was no real connection, no sense of tension. I felt sorry for the "victims" for their choice in men, but we never met the real victims and there was a disconnected feel to the crimes.
There was so much potential for a thrilling read, unfortunately it wasn't.

Though it's still early into 2019, I can safely say that A Version of the Truth is by far the worst book I've read this year. It shocked me NOT AT ALL to see that BP Walter is a white man, as no other author I can think of would write such awful characters. I hated every one of them, save for Stephen.

Graphic descriptions of sex and rape, homophobic undertones, powerful men and their wives who just go along with their bad behavior, this book has all those. I would highly recommend skipping this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I am sorry this was not the type of book I was expecting. If I had known what it was about I would not have requested it.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A Version of the Truth by B P Walter is a tough book to write a review for without giving too much away. This book will not be for everyone as it deals with some very dark and confronting issues. There are some very graphic scenes that I found hard to read. Still having mixed feeling about it all now - lets just say that it was not what I was expecting when I started this book.

The story is told in 2 storylines - that of Julianne in 2019 who is getting ready for Christmas when her son shows her something on the families dropbox that changes everything that she thought she knew about her husband. Then we learn about Holly in 1990. It is her first year at Oxford University and she is a bit of an outsider, until she becomes friends with a group of people who are very different to her. What happens in Oxford will change her life forever.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

A Version if The Truth was not exactly the psychological thriller I was hoping it would be, but it was a page turner. I just did not gravitate toward any of the characters and felt like elements of it were off putting rather than thrilling. However, it is a shocking read that has some twisty elements that many readers will love. If you enjoy books with imperfect characters, eye opening scenes, and shocking storylines then you will like this one.

This book was not at all what I expected, there was a lot of graphic sex, sexual violence and the characters were vile and obnoxious. It was not for me at all I didn't enjoy it in the slightest.

This book deals with very graphic sexual abuse content - I wasn't expecting that when I started reading it. I do think that the story could have been told without being quite as graphic. It was a compelling read, something drew me in and kept me reading. I enjoyed the flashbacks to tell the earlier story, but found that I didn't particularly like any of the characters. I was expecting the story to continue longer than it did, the ending felt quite sudden, despite the epilogue. I don't think I can describe the story as enjoyable due to the subject matter, but it was compelling.

Not sure, how I feel about this book. It wasnt what I was expecting yet I was gripped.

It is rather graphic in places and it was VERY dark.

I love books that hop back in time and to present day, you can piece the story together as you read and the ending was great!

The characters where hard to like too which makes it difficult. I suppose the only likeable character is Stephen.

Anyway a good book, but very very dark.

A book of twists and turns with lots of darkness and very little light. The story spans 25 years. Following a discovery on the internet a group of old friends are forced to answer previously unasked questions. Layer after layer of secrets are uncovered with surprising results, including a really good example of the meaning of 'consent'.. It's a great read if you like mystery, intrigue and to be kept hanging for answers. I really enjoyed and recommend it.

I have to be honest and say this book was not for me. I think the reason was the subject matter of rape, sexual violence and racism are hard subjects to enjoy.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, I liked the sound of it but looking at the other reviews it seemed like a marmite book, some people thought it was great, and others didn't seem to like it at all.I thought it was much better than I expected, and a very interesting,if some what disturbing story.I guess the sex scenes may have put some people off ,they didn't hold back but were very much integral to the story.I thought the characters were very well written and seemed realistic .I am not going to spoil the story for other readers but I will say if you are looking for a captivating and interesting story and not squeamish about the sex scenes and content you should enjoy this book .I found it to be an interesting read and I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

Enjoyed this book, though I'm a sucker for a tale about posh aristocrats but this becomes a lot darker. I would say that some of the more graphic scenes seem a bit gratuitous but by the end, it all becomes a bit clearer. Would read more by the author

I have to be honest, this wasn't my favourite book, I just wasn't drawn in from the start which I love a book to, it did pick up and turned out after a roundabout way of getting there, to be a good storyline, gritty and dark but mixed feelings. Overall 3*

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The cover and the blurb don't give a clue about that it's about and what you'll find.
It's quite disturbing for my taste and it's not a book for me.

Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for granting this copy.

I love these types of stories! The different characters were complex and mysterious. I loved the way BP Walter held your attention from the very beginning. Suspenseful novels really are the best. A must read!

3.5 stars.
This book meanders around for its majority and I was wondering exactly where we were going at times. But, when it finally opened up, it went from 0-100 in just half a page and suddenly all of what I had previously read started to make perfect, if rather shocking sense.
It is told in a dual time line. In 2019, Julianne is getting ready for Christmas. She is preparing for the visit of her mother when her son calls her and tells her that he has found something a bit disturbing on the family cloud drive that his father has obviously put there by accident. Something that also shocks Julianne but he husband appears to have some explanation which sort of placates her but does still leave her with niggles.
Back in 1990 we follow Holly as she leaves home to study at Oxford University. She immediately feels intimidated by the wealth and status of her fellow students but it soon welcomed into a group of well to dos and even, maybe, thinks she is falling for one of them in a romantic way. But, as the end of the first term looms things start to get a bit more full on and she starts to see things for what they are.
As already said, these two threads meander about laying down background and context until, at one point, connections start to form between the past and the present. This happens for the majority of the book until certain realisations finally come to light towards the end where the book really does take a very dark turn indeed, quite graphically in nature. Something that caught me out a bit and made me gasp with shock and horror.
It's a very character driven book from the start but, that said, most of the characters are pretty nasty which I guess makes it a very brave move for the author. But it is managed with aplomb as, even though I pretty much detested the majority, I connected with them quite well, albeit it in a rather negative way.
Apart from the content and descriptions depicted in the book, what really hits home is the fact that most of what occurs in the book really could happen, and probably already has in some shape or form. This makes it quite relevant in the current climate of what I read in the news pretty much every week. Obviously the main nature of this can't be expanded on here for fear of spoilers but, suffice to say, shocking isn't really the word and makes this a story that is important to be told.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Whilst this is a difficult and often upsetting plot, this book will stay with you for a long time after you’ve read it. I can understand why other readers have given it low ratings, however I’ve given it 4 stars due to the strong writing and well developed characters.
It won’t be a book that will cheer you up, however it’s one that I’m glad I’ve read.